Love Story
by liTTlE-MisS-trOuBleSomE
Summary: How far would you go for love?


Love Story 

**Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept for the storyline...this is so not fair... **

Anyways...I hope you like this story. I know I should be updating but this just popped into my head and I had to write it out. Dont ask me why I chose Kiba. He just seemed like a great guy for this story. Try to imagine it at least.

* * *

_We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes and the flashback start  
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air_

Tenten walked quietly through the groups of people. She and her fiancé Kiba were attending the wedding of Hinata and Naruto, the hokage of the Leaf Village. Tenten could see them dancing on the dance floor, holding each other like there was no one else in the room; lost in their own world. Tenten smiled, a feeling of happiness overcoming her for Hinata. She could see how blessed Hinata must feel right now, finally having the man of her dreams in her arms.

Even before Tenten met Hinata in school, the shy heiress already had a crush on the obnoxious loud mouth class clown. Tenten never understood what she saw in the boy. In high school, when Naruto finally smartened up and asked Hinata out, many people did not see the relationship lasting very long. Tenten still remembers the whispers of her classmates.

"_Look at them. They won't last long. They're total opposites." _

"_Why does Hinata like him? He's not even cool..." _

"_Hinata should smarten up. She needs someone who is as rich as she is. Not some penniless orphan." _

"_He doesn't deserve her!" _

"_She could do so much better." _

"_Fate has decided that Hinata-sama should get her heart broken by that fool before she realizes what an enormous amount of time she has wasted on the idiot." _

Tenten shuddered at the last one. The last comment was from Hinata's cousin Neji. Neji had always believed that fate controlled their lives and that there was no way of escaping or changing it. She remembered that he wasn't always like that, but when his father died, he shunned himself from the rest of the world. She had wanted to help him, but he wouldn't allow her. She remembers clearly how hurt she had been because he had been her best friend. More than that, she had been in love with him.

"_You're still in love with him you idiot..." Tenten's inner self said to her. _

"_I'm not. I'm in love with Kiba." Tenten's inner just shook her head. _

"I'm in love with Kiba. I can't be in love with that cold hearted bastard. He left remember?" Tenten said to reassure herself. And it was true. The summer that school ended, Neji had moved onto bigger and better things, becoming a lawyer at a far away city, leaving Tenten, the rest of his family and friends, and all his painful memories in the small Leaf Village of Konoha. Tenten never expected him to stay in the village after all that, but he never even said good-bye to her.

_See the lights see the party the ball gowns  
See you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello_

Tenten sighed and looked around for her fiancé Kiba. She had met Kiba through a mutual friend and things had sparked almost immediately. He was funny, outgoing, and everything "that guy" never was. Two weeks ago, he had proposed to her, telling her that he would make her the happiest woman ever and that he would love her and take care of her for the rest of her life. She agreed and the overjoyed look on his face as he helped her put on the diamond ring reassured her that she could go through with this.

"_I'm going to forget Neji ever happened and I'm going to be happy with Kiba." _At that moment, her eyes met with someone else.

Pale pupils stared at her and she stared back. Tenten choked back a little.

"_I'd know those eyes anywhere." _

She panicked when the man with the eyes started to approach her. She willed her legs to move but they didn't seem to listen as she stayed glue to the spot. She looked around for Kiba, hoping that he would save her but he was nowhere in sight.

"_Come on legs! Get a move on!" _

As she finally felt her body regain control of her legs, she realized it was too late. The man was already standing in front of her.

"Hello Tenten. It's been a long time."

"Neji."

_Little did I know  
That you were Romeo you were throwing pebbles  
And my Daddy said stay away from Juliet _

"So how have you been?" Tenten asked politely. He may have left without saying good-bye but Tenten still remembered her own manners.

"Fine thank you. And yourself?" He questioned, seemingly taken back by her coldness towards him.

"I've been wonderful. I'm wondering how long you're in town?"

"A couple of weeks. Why?"

"I'm engaged." Tenten replied and a long pause followed.

"That's wonderful. Congratulations." Neji finally said, his eyes flickered with an emotion that Tenten couldn't describe.

"Thank You. I was just wondering whether or not you'd like to attend the wedding. It's three weeks from now." Tenten asked curiously.

"I would love to, but I'm due back in the city in two weeks." Neji said, his eyes again displaying the emotion that had flickered across them earlier.

"Tenten," she felt male arms wrap around her waist, "Who's this?" Kiba asked, smiling at the gentleman who she was talking to.

"This is Neji. He's Hinata's cousin." Tenten answered. "And this is my fiancé Kiba." She said turning to Neji. He nodded and Kiba stuck out his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you too." Neji replied, taking the hand and shaking it firmly.

Kiba turned to Tenten. "I'm sorry but we have to go now." Tenten nodded.

"It was nice seeing you again Neji." Tenten told him before she turn to leave with Kiba. He said nothing as Tenten left with Kiba.

_And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go  
And I said _

"Nice fella. Doesn't talk much. How do you know him?" Kiba ask as he was driving her home to her apartment.

"He was a friend from school. It's been a long time since I've seen him. He moved to the city to become a lawyer the year we graduated." Tenten tried her best to smile.

"Oh. Here, let me open the door." Kiba said as he stopped the car in front of her apartment complex and got out of the car to open the door for her. He walked her to the front of her building and kissed her good night before getting back into the car the driving away. Tenten smiled. He was always such a gentleman. She was lucky to have him.

"_Why don't I feel lucky though?" _

* * *

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes _

Tenten pushed the books in. She had gotten a job as the village's librarian, always loving reading as she grew up. She dreamed of one day making a tour around the world and writing about her experiences. It didn't look like her dreams were going to come true though. She was going to be married in three weeks and she didn't want to be away from her family. She and Kiba did plan to have kids and she wouldn't be able to if she went on tour.

"It would've cost too much anyways."She quietly whispered to herself. She never told anyone about this dream of hers in fear that Kiba would find out and would persuade her to follow her dreams instead of settling down with him. He would've paid for everything too if necessary and she was afraid that she would lose him if she went away. She couldn't lose another person she loved.

She shook all the thoughts of her dreams and continued shelving the books. She was looking through at some of the books in the travel section when she spotted a pair of eyes looking at her. The person was on the other side of the book self, looking at her through the slits of the books, his pearly white eyes seeing straight into her heart.

"_It's him." _she realized.

"Hello Tenten." he said as he walked around the shelf to where she was.

"Hello Neji. Looking for a book?" she asked.

"Actually, I was looking to see if they had a map of the village. This place has changed so much since I last came back that I don't know where anything is anymore." Neji said sheepishly. Tenten smiled. Of course. He hadn't been back since he moved four years ago.

"Here Follow me. I'll find you something." Tenten said happily as she walked towards another shelf, Neji following her obediently.

"So how'd you meet him? Your fiancé I mean." Neji asked as Tenten looked for a map for him.

"I met him through a friend. She thought I needed a man in my life and Kiba had just broken up with his girlfriend so she hooked us up." Silence followed the answer.

"Hm...I can't seem to find it..." Tenten questioned looking through the books again. When she could spot the book, she went to the computer to look. She found the book in the library catalogue and realized it was checked out. She was about to look for another book when she had a thought.

"_This could be my chance. It's not like I want to hate him. Maybe if we were friends, he'd come to my wedding." _Tenten thought. She really wanted Neji at her wedding. He was her best friend after all.

"_You just want him there because you're hoping that he'll object to the wedding and steal you away from Kiba." Her inner said seriously. _

"_No! I'm perfectly happy getting married to Kiba. I just want him there for me like he was there for Hinata." Tenten yelled at her inner. _

"_Whatever you say. You're hopeless you know." Her inner sighed. _

In the end, Tenten managed to convince Neji to let her show him around the village. For the rest of the day, the two wondered around, Tenten pointing out some of the old streets and some of the new ones that the village had added on in the last four years. She saw Neji smile when she pointed out the ice cream store that they went to all the time when they were little. She saw him smile again when they arrived at the old toy store.

"Remember I bought you a toy here once for your birthday?" he suddenly asked her.

"Yea I remember. It was a stuffed bunny that cost you your whole allowance." Tenten giggled.

"Yea." Neji said, quietly looking at her. The two were silent for a moment, lost in each other's gaze before Tenten finally broke it.

"I still have it you know."

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew_

For the next weeks, Tenten got off work a little early to take Neji sightseeing around the village. The two never were silent, always finding something to talk about whether it be something from their childhood or some new addition to the school. Tenten found that Neji really had opened up a little more since he'd been away from the village. She learned that after he left, he got a Masters Degree and now he owned his own firm in the city he worked in. He seemed happier and Tenten smiled, knowing he had finally let his father's death go.

_So close your eyes  
Escape this town for a little while_

On Friday, when Neji didn't show up, Tenten nodded it off and finished her shift. She was going to go home when she passed by the ice cream shop. She started to think about all of the times in the shop where she had gone in with Neji and they had ordered the same thing every time; Neji always had vanilla and Tenten always had chocolate.

* * *

"_Neji! Are you coming or not?" 6 year old Tenten yelled as she held the money in her tiny hands. _

"_Slowly down! What's the rush? Neji said as he calmly walked towards the ice cream shop with Tenten running up ahead. _

"_We're later than usual! What if they close?" Tenten said panicking. _

"_They won't. It isn't even sunset yet." Neji replied, rolling his eyes. _

"_Well hurry up anyways! They might run out of chocolate ice cream!" Tenten said, taking Neji's hand and dragging him there. Neji looked at their conjoined hands and blushed, not noticing that Tenten was blushing too. _

* * *

_The day after Neji's father's funeral, Tenten walked quietly down the street. She and Neji were supposed to be getting ice cream at that time but Tenten couldn't find her best friend. She didn't think it'd be right anyways, Neji's father just died and she wanted to get ice cream with him? _

_Suddenly, she felt a tug on her arm. She turned around to meet 16 year old Neji's gaze. His eyes told her to be quiet and to follow him. She did and he led them right to the ice cream store. She sat down like usual and he ordered. He brought both their ice creams back like usual and they ate in silent. As they ate, it had started to rain and Tenten noticed that neither she nor Neji had an umbrella. A second later, she didn't think Neji cared as they left the store and walked in the rain. _

_He walked her back to her apartment like usual, but instead of leaving, they stood in the rain looking at each other. Tenten understood how Neji felt, all his emotions pouring out from his eyes. Sadness, loneliness, question, grief; all of those emotions could be seen with one look in his snowy white eyes. Underneath all that there was something Tenten couldn't quite put her finger on. Suddenly, Neji dipped down and kissed her on the lips, pouring out every unsaid feeling she knew he had bundled up on the inside. And she let him, knowing full well that this kiss meant nothing and that he just needed reassurance that she would always be there for him. _

_The kiss lasted only a brief second before Neji's lips parted with her own and he turn to leave, not looking back to see if she went into her apartment like he usually would. _

* * *

_'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
And my Daddy said stay away from Juliet  
But you were everything to me  
I was begging you please don't go  
And I said_

Tenten sighed. She walked past the shop but something caught her eye. She turned back to look into the shop window to find Neji sitting at a table in the shop, two dishes of ice cream laid out before him. She headed into the shop and walked over to him, already guessing what flavors of ice cream were in the dishes.

"So you still remember huh?" she said, settling down across from him and picking up a spoon.

"How can I forget?" He smirked, picking up a spoon himself. They ate in silent until Neji interrupted the quiet.

"What happened to your dream?" he asked out of curiosity.

"What dream?" Tenten said, her mouth full with the sweet chocolate dessert.

"The dream where you said that you wanted to travel the world and write about it. Did you do it?" Neji said, putting his spoon down. Tenten froze up.

"How did you know about that?" She said, slowly looking up.

"You told me once, when we were eighteen." Neji replied.

"I did?"

"Yea you did."

"Well, it's not going to happen anymore."

"Why not?"

"Neji. I'm going to be married in two weeks. I can't wander into the vast unknown and have Kiba wait here for me for god knows how long."

"Then do it after you get married."

"I can't leave him like that. We have plans. We're going to go on a honeymoon, I have a job and a life here, and I want kids too. Besides, I don't have the money. I work in the library and all my money's gone to the wedding already. I can't leave Kiba. I love him." Neji was silent after that.

The two finished their ice cream and exited the store. It had started to rain and neither of them had umbrellas. Tenten noticed that Neji just walked into the rain and she followed, neither of them saying anything.

"_Wow...Déjà vu much?"Tenten's inner said, wriggling her eyebrows. _

"_Shut up!" Tenten yelled back, blushing. _

The two arrived at Tenten's apartment ten minutes later and Tenten turned to face Neji.

"Well, I'll see you around." She said, getting her keys out.

"No." Neji said, grabbing her wrist.

"What?" Tenten said, freezing and looking up at him. Their eyes met and Tenten immediately knew what he was thinking.

"_He's angry? Why is he angry?" _Tenten wondered.

"You don't love him." Neji said bluntly.

"Yes I do." Tenten said, angry flaring in her voice.

"No you don't. You love me." Neji said calmly. Tenten was speechless. How did Neji know about that?

"You were drunk once, at our graduation party. You told me everything, from all of your dreams to how you've loved me ever since you were six years old." Neji pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, dropping her bag on the floor in the process. Tenten continued to look at him, her mouth open but no sound coming out of it.

"I avoided you," Neji continued, "I never knew you felt that way about me. I panicked and that summer I moved without ever saying good-bye to you. I came back because after all these years, I know now. I know I can't live without you and I know I love you."

Tenten gasped at the last sentence. She and Neji stared at each other as the rain poured down on them. She could feel his warm hands around her waist, hers on his chest. Her skin was cold but she felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

_He loves me! _

Tenten started to imagine how things could be. They would get married and she would probably go with him to the city. They would have kids. Tenten smiled a little at the thought of little Neji's and Tenten's running around. They would write to Hinata and Naruto. She would write to all her friends here too. Ino, Sakura, Temari, Lee, Kiba...

_Kiba. _

Her fiancé. Her betrothed. The one she was suppose to love. The one that loved her. She completely forgot about him. He had been there for her when Neji hadn't. He was smart, kind, funny and he loved her. He loved her from the moment he saw her, and it took Neji four years to figure out. She looked at the man that was holding her now and pushed him away angrily.

"Four years." Tenten said coldly.

"What?" Neji said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"It took you four years to figure out you love me. I'm going to get married Neji. Kiba loved me from the moment he saw me and it took you four years to figure it out."

"But-"

"I love him. I love Kiba. It's true that I loved you, but that was then, and this is now. Goodbye Neji." Tenten whipped around and opened the door to the building, not bothering to look back. She pressed the button for the elevator and as the doors opened, she gasped.

"Kiba?" Tenten said. He looked at her with hurt in his eyes and in that instant, Tenten knew that he knew everything. He walked out of the elevator and brushed past her. Tenten heard him open the door and leave. She heard an engine start and a car speeding out of the lane and onto the big street. She sighed and headed up the elevator.

When she got to her apartment, she opened the door and spotted a table with a single candle set up in the middle. She also noticed that her curtains were open.

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes _

For the next week, Tenten didn't leave her apartment. Her friends, Sakura and Ino, tried to convince her to let them in but to no avail. Tenten hid herself in her room crying and watching old romance movies. She would cry whenever the two characters got their happily ever after because it didn't seem like she would get hers.

After watching "A Walk to Remember" for the seventh time that week, Tenten grabbed another tissue and started to laugh at herself.

"Look at me...I'm so pathetic." She said muttering to herself.

_Romeo save me they're trying to tell me how to feel.  
This love is difficult, but it's real  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

"_So now that we agree on the fact that you are useless and pathetic, what are you going to do with the rest of your life?" inner Tenten said, crossing her arms. _

"_What do you mean?" Tenten asked. _

"_Well you can't sit here moping for the rest of your life. How are you going to feed us?" inner Tenten rose an eyebrow. Tenten knew what she meant. _

"_You can't make me choose between Kiba and Neji. That's not fair." Tenten said, close to tears again. _

"_Well Neji leaves tomorrow. Your wedding with Kiba is a week from tomorrow. You choose. Do you want the man who loves you and can take care of you for the rest of his life, or do you want the man you love that broke your heart?" _

"_You can't make me choose!" _

_Well I got tired of waiting _

"_Well technically I'm you so really, you're choosing." _

_Wondering if you were ever coming around _

"_So who's it going to be? Who do YOU love more?" _

_My faith in you was fading _

"_Is it going to be Kiba..." _

_When I met you on the outskirts of town _

"_...or Neji?" _

_And I said  
Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone.  
I keep waiting for you, but you never come_

Tenten ran to the airport. "_Oh no! Neji's flight leaves in an hour! I'll never make it." _She said. She finally arrived at the sliding doors of the airport and rushed in to find that Neji's flight had been delayed. She smiled.

"_This must mean that we're meant to be right?" she asked inner Tenten. _

"_I don't know. You made the choice to come here today." _

"Neji! Where are you? I have something to say to you!" she yelled, looking around. No response came from the crowd as they were all bustling to get to their flights on time.

"Neji! Neji!" Tenten yelled. Still no response.

"Neji! Hear me out! I don't care if you needed four years time to realize you love me and come back for me. You could've taken ten years or twenty even, and I still wouldn't have cared. You came back and you told me you love me, and the truth is, I love you too. I never stopped loving you. I just tried too because Kiba was so right and he was so perfect for me, but I know now. I know I will love you forever and I won't ever be able to love someone else."

Tenten finished her confession but Neji didn't appear. She looked around, panic showing in her eyes.

"Excuse me miss." A voice said from behind her.

"Neji?" she said, turning around.

"I'm sorry but no. Mr Hyuuga has already left on an earlier flight, but you are Miss Tenten I presume." She nodded.

"Well, Mr Hyuuga told me to give you this letter." The man handed her a letter.

"Thank you." Tenten said, disappointed. She was about to open the letter when her cell phone rang.

"Tenten. You should come to the hospital quick. It's Kiba, he's..." Tenten eyes widened as she quickly left the airport and sped to the hospital.

_Is this in my head,  
I don't know what to think_

"Kiba!" she said, bursting through the doors of the hospital room. Three pairs of eyes stared at her. Tenten felt herself let out a sigh of relief as she saw Sakura and Kiba's sister surrounding Kiba, who only had a bandage on his head.

"Thank god you're okay." Tenten said as she paced over to his bedside and sat down. Kiba took her hand.

"I may be okay but my car's a goner." He joked.

"Well as long as you're okay." She said with another sigh of relief. They stared at each other and Kiba turned to his sister and Sakura.

"Will you give us a few minutes please?" he asked quietly. They nodded and left the room.

"Tenten," he said, turning back to her, "I know what's going on."

"I can explain..."

"You don't have to. I know you."

"What?"

"I know you love him."

"I love you!" Tenten complained. Kiba shook his head.

"You do, but not like you love him. I always knew somehow that you never truly loved me. I was hoping that maybe one day you would, but I knew."

"Kiba..."

"Sometimes, if you love someone, you have to let them go for them to be happy. So I'm letting go." Tenten sat there with a confused look on her face. Kiba smiled. "Go. Run and find him Tenten."

Tenten smiled, finally realizing what he meant.

"Thank you Kiba," her smile widening, "For everything." She hugged him and ran out the door.

She rushed past Sakura and Kiba's sister, both had confused looks on their faces as they re-entered the hospital room. Kiba looked up, a small smile on his face.

"It's off. The wedding is off."

_You knelt to the ground  
And pulled out a ring and said  
Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress_

Tenten was running back to car when she remembered the letter she was handed at the airport. It was still in her hands. She stopped and looked and the front, realizing the cursive writing that labelled "Tenten" on the envelope was in Neji's writing. She quickly ripped open the letter.

_Tenten, _

_I love you. That will never changed, but I can't watch you get married and live your happily ever after. That would be too much, so I opt to give you something instead. In your account, I've given you enough money to last. Whether you want to use it on your wedding or your honeymoon is up to you, but you and Kiba should never have to worry about money. I wish you all the best with Kiba and I hope that he will love you for the rest of your life like I would've had. _

_Sometimes loving someone means having to let them go. I finally understand that now. _

_Yours Truly, _

_Neji _

Tenten looked up from the letter, a smile on her face as a single tear slide down from her cheek. She knew exactly what she was going to do with the money.

_It's a love story baby just say yes _

* * *

Tenten smiled, breathing in the fresh air of Christmas Time. She was in New York right now, spending Christmas there and writing about it. She sighed, looking at her breath puffing out as she remembered again exactly how she had gotten on this trip.

It was a dream come true really. Tenten had used the money Neji had given her to fulfill her dream of traveling the world and writing about it. She had left Konoha on her supposed wedding day two years ago. She's gone everywhere since, from the pyramids of Egypt to the Amazon River in South America. She had no idea where to go next though, as she had already gone everywhere she wanted to.

Her books were international best sellers as people loved to read about her adventures and her trips. She was sitting on a bench in Times Square now, watching people rush back and forth, doing some last minute Christmas shopping. She had her notepad out and she was observing the details from her perspective when she spotted an ice cream shop. She quickly scribbled something into the pad of paper before closing it and walking over to the shop.

_Wow, an ice cream shop. I haven't had ice cream ever since...well...ever since I left home. Perhaps I'll go try the ice cream in New York City, see if it's as good as people say it is... _

Tenten was looking through the windows of the shop, her eyes amazed at the many different flavours she saw. She was looking at the cookie dough flavour when she felt a presence. She looked into the shop through the window and spotted a man looking back at her with such intensity, it warm her cold body to the tips of her fingers. Before him laid two dishes of ice cream on the table. He was sitting on one chair, a spoon in his hand, while the chair next to him was empty. His eyes, which were boring into her soul, swirled with emotion.

"_I'd know those eyes anywhere..." _

The bell rung as someone entered the shop.

_We were both young when I first saw you..._

_

* * *

_

So how was it? So how was it? So how was it? So how was it?

Tell me how it was through a review! YAY REVIEWS!

See...readers get me all excited. I HOPE YOU ALL REVIEW! It would make me super happy! But it makes me super happy just to have time to post. Well I think i'm starting to rant now so I'm stopping.

but seriously... REVIEW!

_The lovable littlemisstroublesome desu~~_

_ps...the lyrics for the song are suppose to be centered...but I can't seem to center them...everytime I try and save it just bounces back the the left. Could someone teach me how to center my lyrics next time? God I feel like an idiot... ._


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